Vandalism Strikes Michigan State's Spartan Statue

Casey Shuck woke Friday morning to the sound of water balloons and paint
balls hurling at the Sparty statue at Michigan State University. But
despite the attack, damage was minimal.

The physical science junior was staked out by Sparty with fellow Spartan
Marching Band members, poised to protect the statue from vandalism by U of
M students, when about 30 people attacked the area.

Shuck, an alto saxophone player, said that at about 4:30 a.m., some
people drove by and fired paint guns and balloons at the statue. Shortly
after, more people came out of the bushes toting gallon buckets of yellow
paint.

MSU police Lt. Mary Johnson said the department received a call about
the incident at about 5 a.m. Fourteen people were arrested in the incident.
She said warrants are being sought for the students through the county
prosecutor's office.

Shuck said, although he and other band members managed to clean most of
the paint off the statue, many sleeping bags and other personal belongings
were damaged in the attack. Johnson said there was also paint on the
pavement near the statue.

He said in the three years he has been in the band, the incident was the
most extreme act of vandalism he has seen.

Johnson said the event may be related to an incident earlier in the week
when the big "M" in the center of the U of M's Diag was defaced with green
and white paint.

"Apparently, it is was supposed to be retaliation for somebody going
down to U-M and doing some graffiti, but that's no excuse," she said.

Aside from the attack on Sparty, Johnson said, the weekend was
relatively quiet.

"It didn't sound like any unusual disturbances or actions," she said.
"It looked like quite a few people left for the weekend."

There was also little excitement in Ann Arbor, said U of M Police
Lieutenant Douglas Swix.

"There was quite a bit of partying going on," he said. "Other than that,
it was reasonably quiet."

[The State News, Sept. 28]

Woman claims rape at Utah KS

Another 18-year old woman has accused a member of the Kappa Sigma
fraternity at the University of Utah of raping her.

Detective Heidi Stringfellow of the Salt Lake City Police Department
said this case will probably not be criminally pursued. However, the
alleged victim may be called as a witness in the sexual assault case
Stringfellow is currently investigating, which allegedly occurred at the
Kappa Sigma fraternity house on the night of Sept. 4.

The woman said she will cooperate fully and hopes to testify.

"I just want a little closure to this," she said. "I know it's too late
for me to press charges, but these guys need to know that they can't get
away this. I'll help bring about justice in any way I can."

The alleged incident occurred Feb. 20. The woman filed a complaint with
the police July 9.

The woman said she did not come forward at first because she wanted to
take care of the matter privately, but chose to file the complaint when she
heard of other girls being similarly attacked by the same man.

The alleged victim said she was sexually assaulted first in the Kappa
Sigma fraternity house and later in the alleged assailant's home.

"We had gone to a party in the Avenues," she said. "[He] was there and
we had met about two weeks earlier."

"The police broke up the party and we had to move it back to the house,"
she said. "I remember him approaching me and we went into another room, the
library. We were kissing and a lot of heavy petting was going on.

"He started undressing me and I didn't want him to. I felt really
uncomfortable and told him not to, but I was heavily intoxicated and I
could hardly move. I was about to pass out. I repeatedly told him no."

"And that's when it happened," she said. "That's when he raped me."

The alleged attacker denies all allegations. "All of these complaints
are untrue," he said.

The alleged incident occurred in the library of the Kappa Sigma house.
"There's a huge window looking into the library and all of his fraternity
brothers were there at the window watching the whole time it happened," she
said.

She said it would have been obvious to anyone watching that it was not
consensual sexual activity but sexual assault.

Jason Ellis, president of the Kappa Sigma fraternity, declined to
comment on specific allegations but emphasized that no one has been
criminally charged in this case, and that right now these are only
allegations. "That is how we will treat them," he said.

The alleged victim said she had become separated from her friends during
the confusion of the party and was left stranded at the fraternity house.
Allegedly, the accused assailant then offered her a ride home.

"Instead, I fell asleep in his truck and when I woke up we were at his
place where I was assaulted again," she said.

The alleged attacker said he is innocent. "I'm disgusted with this," he
said. "I just want her to go away. I didn't rape anybody."

"I had sex with her one time; it was in the library," he said. "I didn't
force her to do anything she didn't want to. She went and got a condom from
one of my friends before we had sex."

The alleged rapist said this woman is angry because he spurned her
advances after they had engaged in consensual intercourse.

"I told her that we can be friends, but that I didn't want to date her.
I guess that wasn't good enough for her," he said. "She would call me at
home two to three times a day for a month. She's pulled enough stuff to
warrant a restraining order."

J. Stayner Landward, dean of students at the University of Utah, said
his office takes allegations of rape seriously.

"It is a hurtful and despicable crime," he said. "Perpetrators should be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

He said his office has refused to reprimand the Kappa Sigma fraternity
over these sexual assaults until he receives more information from
Stringfellow.

He has, however, placed the fraternity under social probation (no
parties on or off campus) because the alleged victim from the night of
Sept. 6 maintained that she, an 18-year old minor, had been served
alcohol.

[Daily Utah Chronicle, Sept. 28]

LSU Police quell fistfight

Fists started swinging on the seventh floor of a residence hall and two
Louisiana State University students ended up with misdemeanor summons.

Preston Gary Jr., 18, and Leneir Johnson, 17, were charged with
disturbing the peace by fistic encounter Monday over an alleged stolen
compact disc, according to police captain Ricky Adams.

"Gary is saying Johnson allegedly took a CD from his room," Adams
said.

Police first responded to a call about a disturbance and fight at
Kirby-Smith residence hall, he said. When officers arrived, they came into
contact with the individuals.